Towson men’s basketball junior Tyler Tejada recently chatted with PressBox about choosing to return to the Tigers, taking on a greater leadership role this year and more. The 6-foot-9, 230-pound wing earned CAA Player of the Year honors in 2024-25, averaging 16.7 points and 3.9 rebounds for a Towson team that went 22-11 overall and 16-2 in the conference. Tejada is a native of Teaneck, N.J., and graduate of Teaneck High School.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in basketball?
Tyler Tejada: I started becoming interested in basketball because of my older brother, [Tobi]. I always watched him and his friends play while I was growing up. After some time, I think I started to find my own love and passion for it. And then from then, I just kind of picked it up.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
TT: Definitely Kobe and Melo. Melo’s my favorite player of all time. Definitely my mom, [Jennifer], because she always taught me hard work and perseverance — if you want something, you’ve got to work for it to get it.
PB: Why did you choose to go to Towson?
TT: I chose to go to Towson because it felt like home away from home. I love the environment and the people around here. [Assistant coach Parfait Bitee] was a big influence while I was in high school, him recruiting me and everything. It definitely felt like a family type of connection.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Towson?
TT: I would say the environment and the students here. Everybody’s really nice, really outgoing.
PB: What did it mean to you to earn CAA Player of the Year honors in 2024-25?
TT: It meant everything. It was one of my goals coming into the year. To accomplish that, it felt really good.
PB: Given that the program hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1991, how does the team remain focused on day-to-day preparation for the season rather than looking ahead to March?
TT: We just take it one day at a time. Each day is a new opportunity to get better. We’re not really looking too far into the future or really in the past at all. The past is over with and the future is not here yet, so we’ve just got right now. Each day is a new opportunity to get better.
PB: Having said that, what would it mean for this team to be the one to break the drought?
TT: It would definitely be a great feeling, especially the guys that were here last year [who have] that bitter taste in our mouth about how we went out to end the year last year. It would definitely mean everything for us to bring it all the way this year and finally get over the hump.
PB: Towson had some great crowds late in the season last year. What did it mean to build that sort of support?
TT: It felt really great. You can’t really beat a feeling like that with the atmosphere that we have. We try to encourage everybody to come out to the games and show support and show love because we really feed off that and we love it.
PB: Why did you choose to come back to Towson this year?
TT: I felt for myself that I didn’t want to end on that note we ended on last year. [Head coach Pat Skerry and assistant coach Parfait Bitee], they took a chance on me in high school. Loyalty is everything to me. I like to be homegrown and not jump ship, so I decided it was best for me to come back and complete the mission.
PB: What did it mean for Dylan Williamson to come back as well?
TT: It meant a lot, too. That’s my brother. We’re really close. For him to come back, we had a lot of conversations about what we were thinking. We both knew that it was best for both of us to come back.
PB: There are a lot of new faces on the roster around you and Williamson. What role do you two need to take on to show new players what Skerry’s expectations are?
TT: As part of stepping out of our comfort zone, being more vocal leaders and trying to help the young guys and show the new guys the way things kind of go around here. I’m more lead by example, not really vocal, but definitely stepping out of my comfort zone, for sure, to try to talk more and be more of a leader on the court. I think Dylan is doing that as well.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
TT: I would say my best friend on the team is probably Caleb [Embeya] or [Jaiden] Cole. I would say J-Cole because we talked a lot when we were in high school. We both got recruited by [Parfait]. Caleb as well, he was also recruited by [Parfait]. I played against Caleb a couple times in AAU and everything. When we were still living at University Village, me and Caleb were roommates so we talked all the time and got really close over the past couple years.
PB: Who did you look up to early in your college career?
TT: I would say Charles [Thompson] and Messiah Jones because they really showed me how to come in every day, work hard — just be consistent in that aspect. Even though you may not be at your best all the time, you can give your best all the time.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players?
TT: Just keep your head down and keep grinding every day. Stay out of trouble. Don’t follow the crowds too much. Just do your own thing, keep your eyes on the prize, keep the main thing the main thing and just work hard every day.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Towson Athletics